Bad Port Or Bad Hardware? We’re Already Hearing Complaints About Wii U Visuals

As Nintendo’s first high definition console, Wii U will join the never-ending, nothing-really-proven debate between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 over which console’s visuals for whatever multiplatform game are superior. Some people are convinced it’s a bad port, while other feel it’s due to inferior hardware.

It doesn’t sound like Mass Effect 3 or Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge are the best candidates to show off the new console’s graphical capabilities. 1Up, in its review of Mass Effect 3, said the game “seems a lot less visually stable” than the Xbox 360 version, with choppy frame rates, “rougher” animation and even worse audio (in the game’s spoken dialogue.)

NeoGAF has almost unanimously judged this to be a lazy port courtesy of Electronic Arts, with some expected moaning and groaning about third party development on Nintendo hardware. There may be some question as to how well the Wii U’s hardware can handle ports of something developed for another console.

1Up didn’t seem to think it was a lazy job. “There was some actual thought put into this port, which is always nice to see,” 1Up said in its review, although it was praising the integration of the GamePad and the unique details and features it brings to this game.

IGN says Ninja Gaiden 3 isn’t going to win a beauty pageant, either. “Razor’s Edge is arguably uglier than its cousins,” its review says, citing “bland textures and a bad case of the ‘jaggies’”. However, its framerate remains smooth. 1Up said Ninja Gaiden 3 can hang with either the 360 or PS3 “until too many things start happening at once.” That reviewer noted some bad frame skip, but it wasn’t predictable and its source wasn’t easily identifiable.

We’re not reviewing either title but we will be providing impressions, with video, of Ninja Gaiden 3 soon. And we’ll keep our eyes peeled in our play=throughs. But it’s not like this issue is going to be settled based reviews of launch-window ports.

A Look at Mass Effect 3’s Uneven Wii U Outing [1Up]

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge Review. [IGN]


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